Avoid Cyber Crime while Holiday Shopping Online
Leading computer anti-virus software company McAfee, explains how to stay safe and avoid becoming a victim of cyber-crime while holiday shopping online this year.
The company is basing their advice on years of experience as well as recent studies about online shopping habits and intentions of consumers.
McAfee recently analyzed the results of its 2020 Holiday Season: State of Today’s Digital e-Shopper survey. The results show that, “while consumers are aware of increased risks and scams via the internet, they still plan to do more shopping online – and earlier – this holiday season.”
Nearly two-thirds of consumers in America say that they believe online scams and cyber-crime are more prevalent than ever. Despite this, just over one-third of them still plan to do more holiday shopping online this year than ever before.
The study also showed that a lot of the increase in online holiday shopping is being driven by current pandemic. Over the last year consumers have come to rely more on online shopping for the majority of their purchases.
If face, the survey showed that nearly half of consumers are buying more products online since the COVID-19 pandemic began. What’s more, 18% say they buys something online every day, while 34% shop online 3-5 days a week.
All of this creates an attractive market for cyber criminals and internet scams. Criminals know that less than one-third of consumers who receive an email or text message, touting online shopping discounts, will check to verify whether the message a scam.
“With results showing the growing prevalence of online shopping, consumers need to be aware of how cybercriminals are looking to take advantage and take the necessary steps to protect themselves- and their loved ones- this holiday season,” said Judith Bitterli, VP of Consumer Marketing at McAfee.
Here are some steps to shop online safely this holiday season:
- Employ multi-factor authentication to double check the authenticity of digital users and add an additional layer of security to protect personal data and information.
- Browse with caution and added security using a tool like McAfee WebAdvisor to block malware and phishing sites via malicious links.
- Protect your identity and important personal and financial details using McAfee Identity Theft Protection, which also includes recovery tools should your identity be compromised.
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